GARDENING

THIS WOMAN WRITES The Simple Life: Variety Isn't Mandatory
The Norwegian Artist is the simplest man on the planet to feed:
As long as the food tastes good, he eats it, and it doesn't matter if it's the same menu of yesterday, the day before, and the day be...Posted on 1/31/14 at 4:12 PM

PRAIRIE FARE Homegrown Produce Encourages Kids to Eat Their Veggies
Mom, I want to plant a garden, my daughter announced. She was about 4 at the time.
Yes, well plant some tomatoes, peppers and flowers this year, I replied.
OK, lets plant it right now! she said ex...Posted on 5/26/13 at 12:24 PM

SHOOTIN' THE WIT Lessons from the Garden
If you're a regular reader, you may remember the trouble I went through to create my first garden this spring. As stated in the mid-May column, I hadn't a clue what I was doing. My sister was questi...Posted on 7/13/11 at 9:20 AM

I grew up with a garden, not that I was always appreciative of the fact or thrilled with the idea of pulling weeds or picking beans. I did like the tilling. Like most young boys, the tiller with its noisy gas motor and the ability to power pulverize dirt and old plants and weeds had its allure.

Q: Two years ago, we planted strawberries in our garden. They produced a lot of strawberries in year two and are pretty thick. Last year, they were not as thick, so we just wintered them by covering them with straw. What do I do to winter the plants this year?

Do you say "rudbeckia" instead of "black eyed Susan", or "echinacea" instead of "purple cone flower"? Do you know the best methods for ridding a garden of Colorado potato beetles or how to best protect your prize winning tomatoes from blight? If you love gardening and love to share your passion for gardening with others, consider becoming a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener.

I love coming to work on Fridays. I just never know what might be waiting for me on my desk. This morning I had an assortment of oak galls, a very active brown spider (you’ll be happy to know it wasn’t a brown recluse) and many questions about mushrooms in lawns and, in particular, fairy rings.

The availability of that mouthwatering, succulent, buttery taste of sweet corn is a common delight in the late summer activities that surround most of us. You can get it at the local farmer’s market, in the stores, via roadside stands, at county and state fairs and even in your own garden. It is one of those wonderful vegetables that is easy to grow and always rewards us with ears of corn too numerous to eat all at once.

After a slow start and curly leaves, my tomatoes have finally hit their stride! Tall and bushy, and loaded with green fruit, I can’t wait to see that red blush and bite into my first Early Girl of the season.